The most obscure things can often shape our futures and for Trevor Baylisit was the fortuitous discovery of a deluxe box of Meccano on a rubbish tip while foraging for scrap metal as a young boy in wartime west London. By adding the wide range of pieces to the cherished basic set his father had bought him presented him with the opportunity to extend his creativity. By his own admission, Trevor was not in the least bit academic. He considers that “achievement is more important than qualifications” – a policy he has adhered to throughout his long career without causing himself any undue harm, even though he couldn’t have thought this when he and his mates took every opportunity to bunk off junior school. Instead of class work they preferred to pursue more boyish adventures and during the Blitz there was plenty of opportunity to do just that. They collected shrapnel from the enemy raids of the previous night and bits of scrap that could be sold for smelting to aid the war effort. When they weren’t scavenging, Trevor and his friends were preoccupied with swimming even though this was in the foul smelling effluent water of the nearby Grand Union Canal. After discovering he had a natural ability to float, Trevor became a first class swimmer and by the age of fifteen represented Great Britain, but became disappointed when he missed out on a place in the 1958 Olympics. When the time came to leave school, Trevor claims he could barely read and write but was offered a job at a soil mechanics laboratory where he had the opportunity to study mechanical and structural engineering on part-time day release.

I am a keen photographer and I regularly travel to CMK to watch films in Cineworld in Xscape. In the afternoon on Monday 7 Feb prior to watching a film I was ‘arrested’ by two of the Xscape security staff for taking photos of the outside of the building. I had just spent a while taking photos of the derelict part of The Food Hall and then I strolled over to Xscape where I took a few photos of part of the Xscape building. I had only been there for two minutes when I was approached by a security guard. He questioned me on my actions and I think he asked me to leave the area. I refused to leave the area and said I had the right to take photos in a public place. I thought it was reasonable to assume I was in a public place and my normal rights still applied.

A second security guard approached us and he stood behind me – which I thought was strange. I was then told that Xscape was a privately-owned building and I needed special permission to photograph it. They said it was both illegal and against Xscape company policy for the building to be photographed without permission. They then threatened to call the police if I did not leave the area. I thought it was reasonable to assume I was outdoors in a public place and any specifics regarding a company policy did not apply – afterall it wasn’t as if I was inside the building or in a nightclub or restaurant. I invited the security to call the police as I suspected they were being over-zealous and I hoped the police would confirm this and put them in their place.

We stood there outside in the cold waiting for the police to come along to let us know who’s right or wrong. After a couple of minutes I wanted to walk away (my plan was to go to see a film in Cineworld) but both guards stepped forwards and placed their hands on my arms. They told me I couldn’t go until the police arrived. I asked them if they would restrain me if I tried to go and they said they would.

Just after that I noticed one of the guards was not wearing an SIA (Security Industry Authority) badge –I thought a badge number was meant to be on display so that it was easier for them to be held accountable. I asked the guard if he had an SIA badge and he replied “Who are you to ask me that?”. he then said something along the lines of ‘A f***ing judge or a magistrate can ask me that but you can’t.

The image Mr St Clare took at Milton Keynes

I estimate it took the police ten to fifteen minutes to arrive. When they came they asked me some questions, took my details and then let me go. They were very polite and reasonable, they said I had done nothing wrong and that Xscape should have some signs on prominent display if they wanted to prevent photography outside the building. They recommended I complain to the Xscape management about the situation.

A few minutes after the police had left I spoke to the manager of the Xscape security to complain about the situation-specifically about the guard who swore at me and although he apologised, one of the things he said was to the extent of : some of their staff are direct in the way that they speak and deal with situations -they are, therefore, more suited to working later in the day when there are rowdy drunk people to be dealt with. On this occasion, he explained, one member of staff had ended up working earlier in the day than usual.

I’ve taken many photos in public places around MK and I never take photos that invade privacy. I have found that security guards often want photographers to go away –even if they have the right to take photos in a certain area. I accept that if I am approached and questioned by the police when I am near a shopping centre their intention is to protect the public. When I was approached by these guards I could not understand how what I was doing could be seen as wrong or illegal. From the moment they approached me I felt as though they were on the offensive, they were not polite and they treated me like a suspected criminal instead of treating me like a customer of the Xscape building.

I have also launched a brand new blog to solicit comments on subjects readers may feel should be discussed in the book. I do hope you will join me in discussing the major issues such as the NHS, the running of the railways, criminal justice, education, defence as well as some of the minor irritations that are affecting our lives.

The coalition between David Cameron and Nick Clegg may not be what everyone wants but under the circumstances of a hung parliament it is probably the best alternative to a Conservative government that could not have survived long without a majority. Of course it is a compromise; but so is life in most respects, but if it leads to a better Britain we have to accept this.

I am confident that Cameron and Clegg can make things work but they need to be given the time, the support and the encouragement and party differences must be put aside and the sniping has to stop. They are both young and dynamic leaders and the coalition might just be the right answer to a total reformation of the old system of government that has been dragging us down for so long. Put it this way; if they cannot agree over their different policies they will not make it work and it will be extremely damaging to both parties and the electorate will lose even more confidence in British politics. This is a huge opportunity for reform, but the sceptics should pipe down and give the new government the opportunity to implement the changes that are necessary to start this country back on the road to recovery. We all know that it is going to be tough, but we have to accept this if we are to recover from the dire mess that Labour got us into. It is a moment of truth but I think David and Nick can carry pull it off, providing they have the backing of the country. I hope I am not proved wrong.

So, the outcome of the election has been as expected and we are in a hung parliament situation; the first since 1974. This looks unlikely to be helpful to the electorate who, in the main, registered a vote of no confidence in the Labour Government and it emphasises just how ludicrous our electoral system is. I can’t see Gordon Brown wanting to stand down gracefully; it is not in his make-up. One thing for sure is that Nick Clegg is now holding the trump card despite disappointing results for the Liberal Democrats. The key question is whether or not he wants to form a liaison with Labour? The outcome is not an easy one to predict and the talk around Westminster this morning seems to predict another general election sooner rather than later, possibly before the end of the year. Read the rest of this entry »